Think about it
Beautiful places
By Jun Velasco
WAS it Mayor Leo de Vera’s modernizing town of Bayambang – with the legendary plaza largely funded by Cesar Quiambao — the starter of it all?
Or Mayor Jolly Resuello’s San Carlos City? Don’t forget that in the 60’s, Palaris City was adjudged the most beautiful nationwide then under Mayor Luis Cayabyab.
Surely, it was Mayor Benjie Lim’s Dagupan City, with its rows of inspiring lampposts, that created a delightful chain reaction among Pangasinan’s cities and towns, now individually showing off their lovely plazas and rows of street posts a-blaze at nightfall.
The city is poised again to launch a world-class campaign for its Bonuan Bangus by month’s end. How heartwarming to see Speaker Joe de V’s colorful tarpaulins in the city’s thoroughfares. We hope the outer jewels are also in the heart!
Visitors of Mapandan , once Central Pangasinan’s Sleepy Hollow before the reign of Mayor Ferdie Calimlim, were all praises for the town’s overnight transformation. The town last week took center stage in its Pandan festival graced by no less than President Arroyo.
Have you seen Mayor Sammy Rosario’s new Binmaley look, with its postcard Children’s Park and newly renovated Presidencia? “You ain’t seen anything yet,” Sammy told us. There you are, Binmaley has already drawn “ohs” and “ahs” from visitors, but paraphrasing John Paul Jones, Sammy says he has not even begun to fire his best shot.
Mayor Jonas Castaneda’s capital town which may soon become a city is a lovely sight at night. Jonas’ lawyer-brod, Jack, has become the elder’s fan for what he is doing for the up-and-coming city of Pangasinan.
Coming from Manila one evening, our eyes feasted on Urdaneta City’s galaxy of lights. We are impressed by Mayor Perez’s and Congressman Mark Cojuangco’s street-widening project, which shows a proactive and resolute leadership at work.
Between La Union and San Fabian is a non-stop queue of lights that extends to Mangaldan on to Dagupan City. Our balikbayan high school classmate Alex Sibuma who built a house along the highway in the Rabon-Bani area is helplessly in love with the pure, crystal -clear Lingayen Gulf which is clearly visible from his window.
In Alaminos City, you get the sense Mayor Nani Braganza, just like Mayor Perez of Urdaneta, is radically transforming the gate-way to the Hundred Islands into a world-class “Pangasinan Singapore,” his administrator Wilmer Panabang told us. From his legislative work, being a member of the Spice Boys and from lording it over the government’s powerful bureaucracies (Malacañang Press Office and Agrarian Reform portfolio), Nani has shown his executive if visionary skills (with Urduja in mind in the near future?)
Congresssman Gener Tulagan’s 3rd district has all the radically improving towns including Pare Mayor Poncing Soriano’s Malasiqui and pare Mayor Roy Macanlalay of Calasiao where Dop Fernandez’s 4-star Regency Hotel towers like a beauty who just came from the shower room
At this writing, daughter Kharmina, Human Resources manager of AIE College, was pressing us to attend the school’s sportsfest with athletes coming from its five branches with alluring Rachel “Baby” Arenas as guest of honor at the Narciso Ramos Sports Complex.
Not to be missed is beauteous Mayor Jinkee Zaplan’s Sta. Barbara town, which recently scored the highest in the national literacy program. Hubby former Mayor Lito Zaplan, former mayors’ league prexy, did the initial beauty drive here.
Mind you, there are three ongoing constructions to watch in the province. They are (l) Governor Victor Agbayani’s legacy of a beautiful provincial park, the Maramba Boulevard (2) the “White House” being put up by Dr. Ado Duque along the Sta. Barbara highway and (3) the newly expanded Urdaneta Poblacion with its radically widened street.
Mayors’ league presidents, one incumbent, Monching Guico of Binalonan, hometown of PGMA’s late ma, Eva Macaraeg Macapagal, and former Usec Bebot Villar, have sustained their LGU’s track record as perennial national awardees in beautification and cleanliness contests. Well-manicured Sto. Tomas town is now ruled by Bebot’s wife, Mayora Vivien Villar with proverbial TLC.
One trait of a leader that sets him apart from his confrere is a steely political will, that bite-the-bullet mien or raw resolve that gets him at war with tradition and the status quo – with all its powerful and entrenched forces – in favor of the larger interest.
It’s a tough, touchy and deathly challenge. But it is this seemingly superhuman character that gets angels and the gods smiling around the feet of a leader with a date with immortality.
Few have this visionary trait. Maybe we should categorize Speaker Joe de Venecia’s derring-do (read: messianic drive for a new political system) along this line.
His extra big heart — crafting a new charter for the country is no mean business — requires a leadership that angels fear to tread. But he seems successful at it. He is a leader of men.
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